Alien 13

I expect the dealer might favor what is available, most starter scopes are sold out everywhere apart from some scope/mount bundles...As for the 102 Mak it is very good for Lunar/Planetary views and handles imaging like no other scope. I think the Celestron Maks have better coatings and less reflective focus tubes but are identical to the Skywatcher versions in other ways.

Alan 

Great images, the small Maks are very sharp...

Alan

I still use my EQ3-2 as a DSLR tracking mount with the single axis motor, can use it for Lunar/Planetary imaging with my 90mm Mak or DSLR with lens.

Its performance is OK for me as I dont normally go above 150mm f/f. but as a rough guide I can get around 90s with 330mm f/l and several hours if I wanted at 17mm f/l.

As for the tripod I always use it at its min height and again its fine, of course a RA polarscope and DSLR with a flippy screen makes this easy and one other plus for me is that it can be run off a cheap mobile phone power bank.

Alan

8 minutes ago, Pryce said:

So basically, since I'll be using APT and will not be doing planetary imaging at all it doesn't really matter?

If you are always going to be using APT then it might not matter too much but the image you get on the camera screen is better.

Alan

9 minutes ago, Pryce said:

So I've seen a lot of people say that the 600D is better for astrophotography, but as far asI can tell they use virtualyidentical internals. Including the same sensor. Other than the movable LCD screen I cant actually see any difference between the two.

Can anyone tell me exactly what makes the 600D better for AP?  

As mentioned its the articulated screen...the 550D does have an ace up its sleeve though as it can record a 1:1 crop video for Planets.

Alan

Another sit back naked eye session with perhaps a DSLR with a 14mm Sammy snapping away in the background.

Alan

1 minute ago, AstroExploring said:

Yes I've also tried it with a single battery. Also checked with just the non-Canon battery to see if that was causing the problem but it doesn't seem to be. As soon as I take the grip off and try either battery straight in the camera the problem goes away.

Interesting thought. Do you think it's excess heat from the grip for some reason? 

Its very strange, cant imagine its heat from the grip otherwise the effects would be seen on the top edge of the image but looks like you have eliminated all other possibilities including any possible light leaks by being in a darkened cupboard.

Alan

11 minutes ago, AstroExploring said:

Yep, I find it very odd too! I took my darks at 4am, with everything still setup and the viewfinder covered. I've just done a test in a dark cupboard, with and without the battery grip, and unfortunately the grip is definitely causing the issue but I have no idea why  

Thats very odd, I take it you tried the grip with just a single battery installed?

Just a thought but looking at the image you uploaded would suggest that issue is in the top right of the camera looking from the back, exactly where the battery contacts are...

Alan

I find this very odd as a battery grip removes the heat generated by the battery from inside the camera so should always improve things, I cant remember an issue with my 650D.

Have to ask how you took your dark frames as light leak through an un covered viewfinder can still cause problems if you just covered the main scope/lens.

Alan

4 minutes ago, Greymouser said:

Just got this delivered, the first parcel of the day:

Nothing to do with astro photography at all, not tempted to go there. It's not even astro modified... Just a few local shots... Anyone know of a good guide for beginners like me, other than the one in the photography part of the forum here? It was second hand so no manual included, even though in as new condition. 

Nice, I guessed that you would go for that camera....

The PDF version of the manual is on the Canon website along with support software like EOS utility and DPP.  Lots of youtube guides around but feel free to ask any questions in the Lounge Photo section.

Alan 

4 minutes ago, SiriusB said:

A Good link Dave.

.....& for all those who store their FMC Apo's in the shed...... sounds like that's a big no no.

....& for those with less sympathetic other halves, now's the chance to explain why it needs to have pride of place in the  dry  living room.😉

 

Storage is ok in a shed provided that the scope gets some fresh air and sunshine from time to time but all my stuff is in the house.....

As for the spreading you only have to look at how soda bread is made, spores are everywhere..

Alan

Fungus can attack most optics that have lens coatings, camera lenses/binoculars especially the prism for some reason and of course scopes and eyepieces. You are correct that the spores can spread and contaminate other optics too.

The best fix is lots of sunlight or UV which will kill the spores but you can be left with glass that has been etched, cleaning with IPA or similar might remove some contamination if the fungus is caught early but its best to be vigilant..

Alan

Not sure about those software packages mentioned but Affinity Photo have incorporated GPU processing for Mac only at the moment that gives a X10 speed increase with some actions..

With the rise in larger format CMOS in use and the big file sizes I cant imagine that the use of GPU processing will be overlooked for long, for now SSD, lots of fast RAM and a decent processor are your friend but worth having a dedicated GPU anyway for other stuff like VR etc.

Alan

I sometimes use the in camera long exp noise reduction if I am shooting single frames on a static tripod with foreground, the extra 6-20 seconds or so is a small price to pay for a perfectly matched dark.

Alan

Looking at your signature you already have a 200PDS with a focal length of 1M so I would opt for something around 400mm focal length to compliment it, a 70mm ish ED refractor would fit the bill perfectly..

Alan 

My COOWOO arrived yesterday, very impressed with it, fits my lenses like a glove even those with a 77mm filter size so should also work with small scopes too.

Even fits my 90mm Mak so thats a bonus..

Alan

Another happy Affinity user here, I have an old copy of CS6 too but gave up on it due to its lack of Canon RAW file support. Thing I realy like about Affinity is that its very similar to Photoshop in its user interface so there is little or no learning curve plus its evolving all the time...

Alan

I cant answer your question but have wondered how common planetary ejections from systems are, could be an awful lot of rouge planets out there..

Alan

A reflector like a 6 inch Newt will out perform pretty much any refractor at the same price point, a used 100mm Tal might be an exception but thats about it...

Alan 

I am surprised that you didn't include a Mak in your original list, easy to mount, forgiving when used with cheaper eyepieces and even the 90/102 Maks can put a big smile on your face...

Alan

I would have voted for the Mak but you didn't list one....

Alan

25 minutes ago, Johns22 said:

Resolved - the intervalometer requires the interval between exposures to be set at least 1 sec longer than the exposure time...

Is this normal for intervalometers? It means doubling the session time to capture the images.

Have you disabled the in camera "long exposure noise reduction?" if not this will cause it to take a dark of the same length as the main exposure..

Alan 

I would be very surprised if every Planet/Moon in the solar system didn't have life and possibly all the asteroids and Sun too.

Alan

Enjoyed that but again all the talks have been excellent.

Alan

Might be worth giving the telescope tube a dose of sunlight too as it could be harboring some fungal spores. when I put my camera lenses or lens cell out for a sunbathe I put some tinfoil on the other end of the lens so it gets a double dose and reduces the risk of the lens causing a fire.... best to point it away from direct sunlight too.

Alan